Late Summer Plum Cake
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Gently spiced, this jammy plum cake celebrates the summer-into-fall season. Serve it for brunch or dessert.
Taking a cue from Martha Stewart’s fresh strawberry cake (a favorite on this site), this plum cake is the perfect dessert for late summer when plums are at their prime. Tucked into the batter, the fruit bakes into rich, jammy pockets, while warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom add a hint of cozy fall flavors. Enjoy this dessert any time of day—plain and simple with a cup of coffee, or topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
“A wonderful cake! The spices really make it stand out and the plums cut through to make the whole thing sing!”
What you’ll need to make Plum Cake
- Flour, baking powder, and salt – Your dry base to give the cake structure.
- Warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom) – Just enough to give the cake a cozy, fall-like flavor.
- Butter and sugar – Creamed together until light and fluffy for that tender crumb. A little sugar is also sprinkled over the top so the cake gets a caramelized finish.
- Egg and vanilla – Bind the batter and add depth of flavor.
- Milk – Any kind you have on hand works here; low-fat is fine.
- Plums – Ripe but firm, pitted and quartered so they bake into jammy little pockets.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt together. Set the mixture aside.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy—it should take a few minutes.
Step 3: Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on low speed until evenly combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients and milk. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth.
Step 5: Transfer the batter to the pan. Scrape the batter into a greased springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. As you can see, the batter is quite thick.
Step 6: Top with plums. Arrange the sliced plums on top of the batter, skin side up, in a circular pattern so that they cover most of the cake. Then sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums.
Step 7: Bake. Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center.
Step 8: Cool and serve. Once the cake comes out of the oven, run a knife around the edges and release the springform side (leave the base in place). Let it cool completely on a rack, then slice and enjoy.
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Late Summer Plum Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (any kind)
- 1 lb plums, pitted and quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-in (23-cm) springform pan. (Alternatively, the cake may be made in a 9-in/23-cm cake pan or pie pan and served directly from the pan.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and 1 cup (200 g) of the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth. (Note: the batter will be quite thick.)
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Arrange the plums on top, skin side up, in a circular pattern so that they mostly cover the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center.
- When the cake is hot out of the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan and then remove the springform edge, leaving the base in place (if using a springform pan). Let the cake cool on a rack completely. Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. The cake keeps well, loosely covered at room temperature, for several days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I enjoy cooking and have made a number of your recipes, but never baked anything … but when I saw this plum cake, I nearly took a bite out of my monitor! I gathered the ingredients I did not already have and bravely set forth to stir, combine, whip, and bake. I did not have a springform pan or even a cake pan, so I used a 9 1/2 glass pie pan … the result was nothing short of fantastic! I love pies … and will tolerate cakes, but I was never a big fan of them until I made this cake. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe; I have pre-ordered your new cookbook and look forward to enjoying more of your wonderful recipes.
Glad you took the leap to bake it you enjoyed it (and thanks so much for your support of the cookbook)! 🙂
is it a cup or 1/2 cup of sugar please
Hi Gaynor, You’ll need 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar. Hope that clarifies!
Lovely cake. I didn’t have cardamom but it was delicious without. Mine cooked in 60 mins.
A keeper and I’ll definitely explore more of your recipes, thank you! X
This is one of the best cakes ever! I’ve made it several times and everyone raves about it. Yum!
Jenn, you did it again!
Holy macro that was a good cake! It was a rainy day today and all the warm spices, the ooey gooey jammy plums, and the subtle bites of tartness just came together beautifully. My husband and I ate HALF of the cake in one sitting (I know, I know.. but it was just SO good!) Can’t wait to make this cake again for my family!!
Few quick notes: I didn’t have any crushed cardamom on hand so I just used all spice, and added a teeeny bit more cinnamon and it was absolutely perfect!
I picked up a case of apriums (cross between apricots and plums). Could they be used for this recipe?
Hi Carolyn, I do think it’d work well. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
It turned out great!! Thanks Jenn
Glad to hear it — thanks for reporting back!
Plum cake turned out super moist and delicious!
Loved the recipe..real quick and easy too
Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful gem. Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes 👍
This is a great recipe! Thank you! The results were fantastic – it tasted amazing and it looked really professional.
A lovely way to use the sweet summer plums we have in abundance in the South West of France. Hubby has already put in a request for cake number two and I am planning to bake this for friends next week.
This was wonderful. I have 4 grandkids and they all loved it. It is unusual to find something they all like.
Fantastic recipe! We just finished eating the first cake I baked using this recipe. Crowd pleaser! Could not resist – the second one is in the oven right now. I cut down on spices a bit, this allowed the plums to shine. Highly recommend this recipe. Very easy to follow and turns out consistently good.